Hey Guys, I'm delighted that you found this blog! Ever since I found that the '30 day split challenge' is taking rounds on social media, I decided to test it all by myself. I felt that splits were something impossible for me because I am not flexible at all! For example, if I had to sit in a pike position and try reaching my foot,  I will only reach a few inches above it (not joking but you might find it funny) and in such a state, imagine me doing the splits! 

But anyways, it would be kind of cool if you can do something that your friends can't. It is the only reason I took up the challenge…

How I did the Stretches:

I started on July 21st, and did the stretches on an empty stomach, right in the morning. Well, I stretched almost everyday without taking any rest days. 

Also, I did not go on any special diet. My routine was also the same like everyday, I have written about A Day in My Life, and you might read there that I do nothing special (like walking 10k steps or running for 30 mins etc.)

Note:

I have listed all the stretching videos I did throughout the challenge. None of them are my own, and there are no affiliate links in this post.

Now let's head right into the progress: 

I started on July 21 2020 with some basic stretches like mountain pose and butterfly posture. The stretching was for about 15 minutes and I felt very sore and thirsty after doing it. My joints were badly paining after I completed my stretching. 

When I started doing the stretches, I realised that my muscles were not flexible at all! But I kept doing the ‘killer stretches’ because I had promised not to give up.

Well, if I don't give some numeric data, there are chances that you might assume everything to be fake. So, here is how far I was from the ground in the first week : 12.4 centimeters

Note: I would suggest warming up before any moderate or intense stretching. But, for the first week, I was a newbie and did nothing like warm up.

Week 2: Still Far Away

The second week, I added a warm-up to my routine and was a little bit more flexible than before. I could bend a little more during certain postures and was already proud of myself! The stretching time was increased to 20 minutes because of the warm-up. I was not so sore like I was in the first week. The challenge was actually about getting the splits, so being less sore was just a small part. That tougher part was to improve leg flexibility and I was not feeling too flexible yet.

Distance from ground: Nearly 11.5 Centimeters

Week 3 : Almost there

I inculcated Surya Namaskar in my routine replacing the warm-up. In the beginning, doing Surya Namaskar was rather confusing, because I could not understand some postures. But it got easier as days passed. The stretching time was 20 minutes every day and I took no rest days. I can't believe my flexibility almost doubled this week! It's probably because of Surya Namaskar that my legs were becoming quite flexible. The Surya Namaskar also helped me to reduce my overall tiredness throughout the day.

Distance from ground: Slightly more than 7 Centimeters

Week 4: Results

Video I followed :  Anna Mcnulty Splits Workout (video below) + Surya Namaskar

So as to win the challenge, I was expected to attain my splits by this week. But I was sure that it is not possible to get my splits in this very week. I wanted some change in my routine, therefore I changed my stretches and started doing "Anna McNulty Splits Workout".

About Anna McNulty: Anna is a teen Youtuber who mostly posts videos on flexibility and stretching routine. She is totally amazing and has unimaginable flexibility!

I was definitely more flexible than first week, and was delighted that my pain was all gone! But the results weren't so promising...

Final Distance from ground: About 5 Centimeters😞

So, I didn't "win" the challenge, and was very disappointed. But I had promised myself to do the splits... So I continued to do the stretchings and DID NOT STOP. In short, I kept doing the stretches after the 4th week.

Week 5 and 6: Obstacles in the Journey

Video I followed :  Splits Stretch Workout + Surya Namaskar

I wasn't as energetic as before, and that was the first time I took rest days. I started skipping certain stretches and got lazier. I was thinking myself as incapable, but more or less, I knew I can improve. I shifted from Anna's stretching videos to another one on Youtube, which I am doing till now. I tried to keep going somehow, and was still feeling unhappy. And at the same time, my unit tests started and I got lesser time to exercise and do stretching. 

But I was improving still, as I was closer to the ground now...

Distance from ground (at the end of 6th week) : Slightly less than 3.5 Centimeters

Week 7: The Best I could Imagine!

Video I followed :  Same as previous week

I continued doing the Surya namaskar and the "stretching video" for the 7th week (In August). But I did not realise that I had advanced so much in my flexibility! 
Now I was quite sure that I will get my splits within a few days. I went on and on, and finally was able to make it by the end of this week.

So, on 7th August, I was able to do my splits. Wow! I think it was the best part of lockdown for me. I'll keep doing yoga and stretching, so that I don't lose my splits. And also, I can now show-off my skills to my friends! Yippee!!

Hope you enjoyed reading my journey to Splits,

Bye,

Gauri

PS: I took the splits challenge in the lockdown, and I am sure that you too might have done something new during this period. I would just love if you drop a comment and tell me which challenge you took or what special you did in lockdown. I'm waiting! Come on!